By Matik Kueth
The Acting Chairman of the SPLM-IO, Oyet Nathaniel, has announced a series of major appointments and reshuffles within the party’s highest positions, a strategic move aimed at bolstering party operations.
In a statement extended to King Media on Saturday, Nathaniel appointed former Health Minister Yolanda Awel Deng to lead the SPLM-IO’s National Committee for Health, tasked with developing healthcare policy and improving public health outcomes.
Paul Baba Ezibon was assigned to oversee the National Committee for Transport Systems, which is responsible for enhancing infrastructure and transportation as part of the SPLM-IO’s overall development goals.
Nathaniel appointed Dut Majokdit as Chairperson of the Students’ League, a position designed to rally and empower student supporters nationwide in efforts to strengthen youth engagement.
Meanwhile, Kech Nguoth Tiem steps in as Acting Chairperson of Relief Organizations for South Sudan, where he will oversee humanitarian coordination, while Wol Thompson Thoan is tapped to lead Business Enterprises Development, focusing on spurring economic growth and private sector initiatives.
In another separate move, Lam Jock was removed from his position as SPLM-IO Deputy Representative in Kenya. The SPLM-IO Acting Chair did not present any official justification for his dismissal.
These changes occur at an uphill era for the SPLM-IO, as the detention of First Vice President and party leader Riek Machar has plunged the party into chaos, causing internal schisms and factional tensions.
Nathaniel, who fled the country in March amid a clampdown on senior party figures, has since stepped into a central leadership role.
Despite a parallel leadership claim from Minister of Peacebuilding Stephen Par Kuol, who opposes the power vacuum left by Machar’s absence, many high-ranking officials continue to vow loyalty to the detained leader, further aggravating the movement’s division.
The SPLM-IO now faces the simultaneous problem of remaining politically relevant while dealing with its most severe internal crisis since its inception.